Haji-Ioannou Named CMA Commodore

The Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) announced that Stelios Haji-Ioannou has been named the 2003 recipient of the Association’s prestigious Commodore Award. Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Chairman of easyGroup, joins a distinguished list of maritime executives who have received the Award, which is given each year to a member of the international maritime community who has demonstrated leadership, vision and commitment to the business. Donald Frost, President of the Association, commenting on the selection stated, “Mr. Haji-Ioannou has provided the international maritime community with enthusiastic leadership since he entered it. . Haji-Ioannou and his family have long been involved in the shipping business and Stelios’ brand of dynamic and visionary leadership epitomize the kind of forward thinking that deserves recognition. The CMA Board felt that he, Stelmar and his company’s activities, represent the potential and dynamism needed today. Haji-Ioannou has demonstrated a defining leadership that we feel will effect the way international shipping will be conducted for years ahead. The Association is pleased that Mr. Haji-Ioannou will be with us to receive the Award in March.” After receiving his MSC in Shipping Trade and Finance from the City University School of Business in London he joined his father’s shipping company, Troodos, and then in 1992 founded his first venture, Stelmar Tankers. Stelmar has a fleet of 36 tankers that are either in operation or on order. Stelmar has been quoted on the New York Stock Exchange since March 2001. Haji-Ioannou has been as prolific as he has been creative under the “easy” brand. In 1995 he founded easyJet which revolutionized air travel in Europe, taking advantage of Intra European deregulation to provide low cost point to point jet travel on a fleet of new aircraft. Today the “easy” brand boasts 8 major business initiatives built to create long term capital growth by selecting and incubating substantial, profitable and sustainable businesses such as easyCar, easyValue, easyCinema and easyInternetcafe.